Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

This lemon poppy seed loaf is light, fluffy and citrusy. It has a perfect balance between the sourness of the lemon and the creamy richness of the greek yogurt.

For a more prominent citrusy flavor, I toped this bread with a lemon glaze as the finishing touch to this breakfast delicacy.

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe

This recipe is fuss-free as most lemon poppy seed loaf recipes use butter and cream it with sugar. In contrast, this recipe uses oil; it is so delicious, soft, and has the right balance of sweet and sour.

The recipe also uses Greek yogurt, which helps to give the loaf a soft and fluffy texture; it is also protein-rich. Because this lemon poppy seed loaf recipe is so simple, you don't need to use an electric whisk; you can simply mix all the ingredients using a spatula, you will have the same rich, tender, and delicious loaf.

What's in The Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf?

• Granulated sugar: Using granulated sugar will keep the poppy seed loaf sweet enough. It adds the right amount of sweetness to the loaf.
• Plain flour: This recipe uses plain flour. However, you can use wholemeal flour if you like.
• Baking powder: It is a stable leavening agent that will give an even rise in the loaf.
• Eggs: It gives the perfect texture to the loaf and remembers to use eggs at room temperature.
• Sunflower oil: This recipe uses sunflower oil as it gives the loaf a silkier crumb. Feel free to use vegetable oil or even melted butter.
• Salt: A little goes a long way; remember to not add too much.
• Greek yogurt: This recipe uses plain, full-fat Greek yogurt. It adds the perfect texture to the loaf and makes it fluffy and soft.
• Vanilla extract: It gives a great flavor to the lemon poppy seed loaf.
• Lemon juice and Lemon zest: You will need fresh lemon juice and zest of two lemons to keep the loaf fresh and zingy.
• Poppy seeds: They not only give a crunch to the loaf, but also they give it a lovely decoration.

For the Lemon Glaze

• Powdered sugar: It has a fine texture and adds a sweet flavor.
• Lemon juice: Don't use water; use freshly squeezed lemon juice for extra lemon flavored icing. Also, it will help thin out the icing. So, if you want the icing to be so thin, add more lemon juice.

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf?

• Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 20x10 loaf tin with parchment paper. You can also just spray the tin with cooking spray or grease with butter.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla extract using an electric whisk, add the sugar, and whisk again.
• Now, add yogurt, lemon juice, zest and oil, and whisk.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Mix well until combined, scrape the sides of the bowl, then transfer the mixture into the loaf tin.
• Bake the lemon loaf cake for 50-55 minutes.
• In the meanwhile, mix all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. You can add more or less lemon juice to achieve your desired consistency.
• Let the cake cool completely, then take it out of the tin and place it on a wire rack, drizzle with the lemon glaze. Garnish with some lemon zest gratings or lemon slices, cut and serve.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure to keep wet ingredients like eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon at room temperature before using them. It helps in combining all the ingredients well.
• Adding icing adds moisture and sweetness to the cake. You can add a thicker layer based on your preference.
• Using fresh lemon juice and zest gives maximum lemon flavor to the recipe. However, feel free to use lemon extract if you like.
• Do not overbake the loaf; remember to check the loaf after 45 minutes with a butter knife or skewer to check if it’s done.
• Make sure to use the right amount of poppy seeds and not go overboard, as too many poppy seeds will make the loaf dry.
• If your cake starts to get brown on top and is not yet cooked in the middle. Check the oven temperature; it may be high. If not, you can place a small aluminium foil sheet on top of the loaf and continue baking, the aluminium foil sheet will prevent the top from overcooking.
• You can make lemon poppy seed muffins; just scoop the batter equally into 12 cup muffin tin.

Recipe Variations

• You may add milk or sour cream instead of Greek yogurt; it will taste just as delicious.
• Substitute flour with rolled oats and make lemon poppy seed oat loaf.
• You can add blueberries or raspberries to the batter for some extra surprise.

Topping Options

I Love topping the lemon poppy seed bread with a lemon glaze; however, feel free to use any of the options below.

• You can use blood orange, orange or grapefruit drizzle
• Lemon cream cheese frosting
• Candied lemon slices
• Buttercream
• Whipped cream frosting

Storage

To store: You can store the lemon poppy seed loaf on the counter in an airtight container for about 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

To freeze: You can freeze this loaf cake as a whole or in slices. Put in a freezer bag or container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Make sure to wrap it with plastic wrap & foil and freeze in an airtight container.

Recipe FAQs

Need more lemon and poppy seed recipes? Check out this Lemon poppyseed cake recipe.

More Sweet Loaf Recipes

• Chocolate banana bread
• Chocolate chips zucchini bread
• Easy pumpkin bread recipe
• Chocolate chips banana bread

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